A device is known having a horizontal support spindle for a yarn package. The yarn, by which is meant either a standard multi-filament yarn, a mono-filament, or other thread-like or filamentary strand, is drawn horizontally off the yarn package away from the support. It is necessary in such arrangements that thread brake be provided to maintain the yarn under a predetermined tension. As the yarn is pulled off for spinning and/or twisting the twist imparted to the yarn tensions it. When this tension is greater than the tension with which the yarn is braked the yarn may knot up and jam the apparatus.
Knotting up is also a problem when the yarn advance is stopped. When started up again also, the increasing tension is frequently insufficient to pull out the knots so that jamming is a problem. Various devices are known such as a so-called balloon braker which is intended to prevent this difficulty. It has been suggested even to apply a type of band brake to the yarn package itself. This type of system, however, has never been reduced to practice adequately and has always given poor results.